Sprint gets earful over cell tower plan

At their Wednesday, May 1 meeting, members of the township's
Zoning Board of Adjustment heard testimony from Frank Colasurdo,
Sprint's architect, who said air conditioning units for electronics
boxes associated with the tower would not make enough noise to
bother neighbors.

The 120-foot proposed pole will be built in such as way as to be
expanded by an additional 20 feet to serve other possible wireless
communication providers. The zoning board would like to see
additional providers place their antennae on the monopole as a way
of preventing others from wanting to erect poles as well.

So far Verizon has expressed an interest in putting an antenna
on Sprint's monopole and Voice Stream has said that when it begins
to seek coverage in Washington Township that it too would hope to
put its antenna on Sprint's monopole.

As part of the project, Sprint will be constructing an
electronic equipment shed that will need to be air-conditioned. Any
other wireless communications company that might want to put their
antenna on the monopole would have to construct a similar
electronics shed with an accompanying air conditioning
unit.

Colasurdo said that if five companies have sheds with air
conditioners that were all pointing in the same direction, the
noise level would be 75 decibels.

However, a proposed eight-foot high fence with fir trees planted
around the outside would muffle the noise to below 65 decibels, he
said.

Board members and residents also voiced concern about the
possibility of the monopole toppling from high winds. Sprint's
experts testified that a collapse was unlikely adding that if the
monopole did fall it would collapse into itself.

Placing the monopole at the firehouse would provide coverage
along Route 517, Parker Road, Hacklebarney Road and Black River
Road. The Fairmount Fire Company would be paid rent for the
monopole.

The tower would fill a two-mile gap in coverage along Route 517,
Spring officials said.

The public hearing on the application will continue at the
board's Wednesday, June 5 meeting.

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